What is West Hollywood’s birth rate?

Short answer: An estimated six births per 1,000 residents per year, fewer than in nearby cities

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The Los Angeles Times recently reported that California’s birth rate fell to the lowest level ever. There were 12.42 births for every 1,000 residents from mid-2015 to mid-2016. That made us wonder, what is the birth rate in West Hollywood?

We don’t know the actual number of births among West Hollywood residents. Those numbers are published at the county level and at the zip-code level, not the city level. Unfortunately, West Hollywood shares multiple zip codes with neighboring parts of Los Angeles, so we couldn’t just add up the zip-code data to get a West Hollywood total.

Instead, we estimated the birth rate from US Census Bureau numbers. The Census Bureau surveyed residents from 2011 through 2015 and estimated the number of women who had given birth in the prior 12 months. We used that number as a proxy for the number of births.

We estimate that a little over 200 West Hollywood residents gave birth each year during the period 2011 through 2015. That was 6 births per 1,000 residents per year, or 22 births for every 1,000 women aged 15 to 50.

West Hollywood’s birth rate by comparison

West Hollywood’s estimated birth rate (6 per 1,000 residents) was less than half of California’s (13) and Los Angeles County’s (12) during the 2011 to 2015 period. That was also true for births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 50.

Notes: The Census Bureau estimated the number of women aged 15 to 50 with births in the past 12 months. We used that as our estimate of births and divided it by the Census Bureau’s population estimate for the same period. Using these estimates, California’s birth rate was 12.90 during the 2011-2015 period, versus the 12.42 rate reported by the Los Angeles Times for July 2015 to July 2016. Sources: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, five-year estimates, 2011-2015, Tables S1301 and B01003; our analysis.

Among nearby cities, Los Angeles had the highest estimated birth rate: 13 per 1,000 residents. It was about the same as the state average, a bit above the county average, and twice West Hollywood’s rate. Culver City’s estimated birth rate of 12 per 1,000 residents was in the same range as the state, county, and City of Los Angeles.

Birth rates in Beverly Hills and Santa Monica fell in between those of Los Angeles and West Hollywood. Beverly Hills had an estimated birth rate of 8 per 1,000 residents, though that estimate could be a little low.

We have two different estimates for Santa Monica’s birth rate. The first, from the Census numbers, was 7 births per 1,000 residents. The second came from zip-code-level birth data published by the California Department of Public Health. That estimate was closer to 10 births per 1,000 residents. We don’t know why the numbers differ. Either way, the Santa Monica birth rate was higher than West Hollywood’s and lower than Los Angeles’.

Short answer: An estimated six births per 1,000 residents per year, fewer than in nearby cities|
The Los Angeles Times recently reported that California's birth rate fell to the lowest level ever. There were 12.42 births for every 1,000 residents from mid-2015 to mid-2016. That made us wonder, what...

DavidWarrendavid_warren@post.harvard.eduAdministratorWeHo by the Numbers

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reports using data to explore city government policy, performance, and community issues. Focused on West Hollywood (WeHo), Beverly Hills, Culver City, Los Angeles, and Santa Monica. Researched and written by David Warren as a private citizen. This is not a government website.